Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1887-10-26
EVA'S LESSON.
A Story Young Husbands and
Wives Should Read.

WIVES SuOuiQ fte1o.
There were indications Of domestic
storm brewing as Richard Hayes entered
his house at seven o'clock one fine
evening in June; his little three-year-
old Mary ran eagerly to meet him, and
baby Harry stretched out his dimpled
hands and prattled glad welcome,
but his wife's face showed that no
pleasant greeting awaited him from
her.
$50 you have condescended to put
in an appearance at last!" she said an
grily. ~ concluded you intended to
stay all night watching that silly base
ball game and guzzling beer"
Richards face flushed painfully at
the last taunt, so wholly undeserved.
Although harsh words were becoming
of almost daily occurrence in his
once happy home. he felt them most
kcenly now as they were uttered in the
presence of an intimate friend. who had
never before seen these too frequent
outbursts of anger.
well. come to supper" Eva said
ungraciously, "you have kept us wait
ing an hour, and I've no doubt Clarice
is half starved"
Clarice protested pleasantly, and
Richard made courteous excuses for his
delay, but Eva was too angry and inn
patient to heed them. Her sharp words
and unkind reproaches marred all the
pleasure there might have been at her
neatly-sprcad supper-tablc.
At the earliest moment Richard es-
capped from the unpleasant home atmos-
phere and took his little ones out for a
walk.
To Clarice the whole scene had been
painful. Slight indications of growing
unhappiness between her friend and
her husband had been betrayed before,
but nothing like this. And it had been
such pleasant home. She remem-
bered how proud Eva had been of her
handsome, even-tempered husband,
how devotedly she had seemed to love
him in those early days. She recalled
the tender condolences Eva had poured
into her ears of his patience, his con-
slant kindness and generous devotion;
but now, in her Impotence and ill-tem-
per, every thing was wrong-petty
faults and foibles. that would have
passed unnoticcd in the old days, were
dwelt upon harshly and magniiied into
Corious defects.
A merry, thoughtless girl, fond of
society and gay pleasures, Eva had
taken upon herself the duties of wife
and mother without a thought of how
weary the burden might prove to be.
For two or three years she bore them
remarkably well; she was very proud
of her handsome husband, her pleasant
home and her bright, sprightly little
girl, whom every one admired and
petted. But with the coming of the
second child her cares increased, the
household duties became heavier, and
her confinement to home closer. She
never realized how largely the nervous
irritation which made her so cross and
fault-finding was caused by these
things.
Confined to her close, warm rooms
day after day, with rarely any other
society than erlittle ones. who shared
her irritability, the troubles had in
creased rapidly.
From an occasional impatient word,
1t had grown to sharp, angry re-
proaches and constant fault-finding,
until Richard was beginning to seek
pleasure in the society Of friends out
side, only to be met with still harsher
words each time on his return.
Thoughtlcss and ignorant of the laws
Of health. it never occurred to either
that ride or walk each day. few
hours in the open air, would do more
90 cure all this trouble than would
either sermons or good resolutions.
The day of Clarice's visit every thing
hal gone wrong. 1t had been very
warm. and Eva had spent many hours
in her close, hot kitchen, over the iron
ing and baking, while May-mischiev-
Gus little puss-had been unusually
troublesome, scarcely out of one piece
Of mischief before she was into an
other, keeping the baby in constant
fretfulness by her teasing, until Eva's
patience was exhausted without the
additional veXation of having her hus-
band take advantage of half holiday
to attend u baseball game and delay
his return beyond the usual hour.
"Oh, If girls only knew when they
were well of, they would never marry"
shc said bitterly, as she seated herself
at the parlor window with her friend.
''Just look at the coy life led before
maffiage; and now IL is work, work,
from morning till night, no chance for
rest or recreation. no opportunity to 60
out, and the children drive me nearly
wild, while my husband cares no more
shan block for all my troubles. Oh,
Iwish l were free once more! would
=" she broke off abruptly and leaned
out of the window. ''For heavens
sake" she cried, excitedly, "just look
at that childl May, come out of the
road this instant, or you'll get good
whipping. Dick Hayes, are you
crazyP There's that child in the mid
die of the road, liable to be run over
any moment. A smart man you are TO
take care of the childrenl'
May was in the street, running here
and fhorc kictino M ooxna h;fe "a "a "a, a